By the end of the workshop, participants will have explored using games and songs in the classroom. Games are fun for children and help create an enjoyable learning environment. They also provide opportunities for communication and task-based learning. Effective songs include those that incorporate actions, classroom signals, mimed stories, visual prompts, repetition and language chunks. Like stories, songs can be adapted to suit different levels and language areas by changing words while keeping a familiar tune. The workshop models adapting a classic song and encourages participants to try adapting songs themselves.

1. Songs and Games

2. Workshop Outcomes
By the end of the workshop you will:
Have explored using games in the classroom
Be more aware of the issues related to choice of
games
Explored ways of exploiting and using songs and
chants in the classroom

3. What is a game?
Why do we use games in the
classroom?

4. What is a game?
A game is
• usually competitive
• rule governed
• goal defined
• has closure
• and is engaging

5. Why use games?
• Games are fun, and children learn well through play
• They create an enjoyable environment
• Games provide a real means for communication
• They can be task based or topic based
• They stimulate the use of language rather than the
analysis of language
• It is learning through doing

6. Games
Let’s try out some games…

7. Songs
What types of songs and chants do you
feel are most effective in helping
children learn?

8. For example…
• Songs and chants that can generate TPR
• Ones that can be used as classroom signals: hello,
goodbye, quiet time, clean-up time etc
• Ones that can be used to mime a story to
• Ones that are exploitable in terms of visual prompts
• Songs with repeated lines
• Topic based songs
• Ones with language chunks
• Can you think of any examples?

9. Songs
Now let’s try out some songs…

10. Adapting songs
Like storytelling, it is okay to adapt songs and chants in the
class to suit level, language area you are looking at.
With songs it is not always necessary to have the music.
You just need a familiar tune to exploit and invent your
own words to.
It is not always necessary to stick to the rhyme of original if
this is not your objective of your lesson.

11. 5 Little Monkeys
Five Little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mummy called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
‘No more monkeys, jumping on the bed!’
Four little monkeys…......
Three little monkeys…...
2 little monkeys….
1 little monkey…....

12. Over to you…
How can you adapt the chant?

13. Thank you!
www.teachingenglish.org.uk
www.learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/group/morocco
(download the materials)
Facebook: BCMorocco